Device for feeding the guide sleeves for spring rings to the points for working



May 3, 1932.

, B. FOERSTER 1,856,951 DEVICE FOR FEEDING THE GUIDE SLEEVES FOR SPRING RINGS TO THE POINTS FOR WORKING Filed Feb. 19, 1930v 4 Sheets-Sheet l May 3, 1932. B. FOERSTER v 5,

DEVICE FOR FEEDING THE GUIDE SLEEVES FOR SPRING RINGS TO THE POINTS FOR WORKING Filed Feb. 19, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 May 3, 1932. B. FOERSTER 1,856,951

DEVICE FOR FEEDING THE GUIDE SLEEVES FOR SPRING RINGS TO THE POINTS FOR WORKING Filed Feb. 19,- 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 HUG! 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 y 3, 1932- B7 FOERSTER DEVICE FOR FEEDING THE GUIDE SLEEVES FOR SPRING RINGS TO THE POINTS FOR WORKING Flled Feb 19 mo Patented May 3, 1932 UNITED BERNHARD FOERSTEB, F ZFFORZHEIM; GERMANY nntrioti "r012. FEEDING T'HE GUIDE s'rsavss non SPRING to 'riiE roiif'irs ton WORKiNG Application filed Fehruary 19, 1930, Serial No. 429,780, and in Germany October 14, 1929.

This invention relates to a device for feeding the guide sleeves for spring rings to the points for working.

is knownsp'ring rings are used as fasten-mg means ior ornamental chains of all kinds as also as conne'e'ti ng means for watchkey and sinii lar chain's. They consist essentially of three parts, namely'the sleeve; ben't ring-shape the catch guided in this sleeve,

'16 andtjh-e catch spring pressing the catch continsel-1y into its looking position.

Spring rings are known with slotted or unsletted guide sleeves. The-longitudinal slot provided in the slotted guided sleeves serves T5 for guiding the shah-lief the catch button roje'eting through the sloton which the catch made of wire can be displaced against the action of the catch spring so that the ring "gap the sleeve bridged by the spring actuated "2 0 catch opens.

An important and difficult part of the production of s lit guide sleeves is the forming of the longitudinal slot.

The object of the application, as is shown 2'6 the following descri tion, is to feed the guide sleeves automatically to the points of working by means of aspeeial device for the purpose of producing the longitudinal slot in large numbers and mor cheaply and to hold 36 these guide sleeves, Whilst they are being worked.

One form of construction of the feeding and holding device is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings which, to enable the transporting and holdi i-1g. arrangement to be better understood, show at the same time how the guide sleeves are" treated at the different working points.

In the drawings Fig. I is a front elevation of the machine.

Fig. 2 a side elevation of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 shows the machine in top plan View.

Figs. 4, 5 and '6 show diagrammaticall in top plan view the first, second, third and fifth operations.

Fig. 7 shows in top plan view, partly section a guide sleeve ready for inserting the catehspring and the catch. s

Big. 8 show's'the slot after the first and second working operations.

Fig. 9 shows the finished widened slot.

'Ona'drivi'n'g shaft a a'dolne shaped bottom platebo'fa container '0 is mounted, into which the guide sleeves for spring rings which are to be Worked are introduced; The bottom plate '6 is rotated in the direotion A, when the machine is in use, so that guide sleeves are continually broi'ight into a slot-shaped delivery opening '0 arranged at the lower edge of the-container wall and towards which the bottom 6 slopes, the blanks leaving -the vessel through the opening 0 arrive in a downwardly inclined chute, partly coveted with bars d At the lower of this chute a delivery opening d is provided into which a catch pin 6 extends. In order to prevent any interruption heingeaused at this opening by the feliowing blank means ar provided for ensuring that these blanks arrive singly above the delivery opening 6Z For this purpose an arrangement is provided consisting of a 'reciproeating teed rod f and two arms f These arins are ni-utua lly displaced inthe di motion of the falling blanks at-a distance apart about equal to the external diameter ofth'e sleeve and engage and disengage alter-j nat'ely fr'om the sides infa slot d. When the upper arm f leaves the slot 65, the blanks this slot niove forward,- but any until they encounter the lower arm f entering this slot (Z at the'sarne tiin'e. The upper arm f the'ri enters-the slot cl and will thus arrive exactly above the foremost blank; whereas this latter is released bythe lower arm f leaving the slot,- when it slides right through the slot, into the delivery openin 6Z and is caught by the 6'. This latter has a longitudinal lea-1",-servin for straightening the blan1':.- It is 'e'arri'ed lay a holder m,- on which the straightening bar g is fastened and which a-n'be s oadjust'ed that the catcl'ifingpin is situated exaetly in; the centre of the dis: charge ripe-hing al.- The blanks, new guided on theatehing pin e; drop up to the uppe sag-set the straightening bar 9, wherethey ate mated by intatingbru'sh hatiirg a pit-- rarity of hashes of bristles ar'oufid its ''l I: oiniif'riicb; until '5 tlie' bld'fll i i (Fig 7) esacny registers" with the stin s-t; ening' bar At this point the blank '5 can slide further in downward direction on the catch pin 6 until it encounters an upper arm of a reciprocating rod is (Fig. 1). This fulfills the same purpose by its arms 70 at the catching pin 0 as the rod with its arms f at the slot d. On the lower end of the catchin g pin 6 a periodically rotated disc a travels in the direction E. This disc has circular depressions a, into which the blanks fall successively. The blanks are fed on this disc to the different working points.

In order to prevent them changing their position on the revolving disc a during the treatment, small retaining pins m are provided at that point of the depressions m at which the gap 2' is situated, when the blank 2' falls from the catching pin 6 and the straightening bar 9, which pins exactly correspond to said gaps. These pins are therefore situated always under the straightening bar g, when ably have a depression 0, similar to the depressions n in the revolving disc n and, like the revolving disc a leave exposed a sufficient surface of the blank to enable the unimpeded working thereof.

At the first working point which is shown on an enlarged scale on Fig. 4:, the guide slot 2' (Fig. 7) for the shank of the catch button is rough milled. This is effected by means of a side milling cutter p, which rotates for example in the direction B. It has been found that when milling the slot 2}, a burr i is always left, extending from one end to the other of the slot. This burr was hitherto removed in a tedious manner by hand.

At the second working point, which is shownon enlarged scale in Fig. 5, a second side cutter genters the slot 2' which still has the burr i This second cutter 29 rotates in the direction D, i. e. in opposite direction to i the direction B. It has been found that the i of the side cutters p and g inclined cut faces 2' (Figs. 6 and 8) are produced at the ends of the slot visible from the outer side. These cut faces impede the insertion,'both of the catch spring as also of the catch, as their inner edges have a burr-like sharpness. Moreover these inc-lined faces i do not form a good stop for the shank of the catch button. They are removed at the third and fifth working points which are shown combined and T on a larger scale in Fig. 6,by means of the tapered end mills 1" and s, so that the insertion opening for the catch spring and the catch formed by the slot 2' is at the same time widened in funnel-shape, according to the Shape of the end mills r and 8.

Owing to this shaping of the ends of the slot, the finished inserted catch has a smooth unimpeded movement.

The slot 2} is itself too narrow for the insertion of the spring and catch. It is enlarged in the fourth operation by means of a wedge-shaped ram a (Fig. 3) so that ithas the shape shown in Fig. 9.

In the last position the finished blank iis lifted out of the revolving disc at by means of an ejector a).

The finishing of the spring ring is efi'ected on a separate machine or by hand in that after soldering the suspension eye, the catch spring and the catch are inserted and the walls of the slot 2' are then brought again into parallel position by pressing togetherof the guide sleeve 2'. I r

I claim p 1.. A device for feeding the guide sleeves for spring rings to the points of working, comprising in combination a container, a side wall of said container having a downwardly directed slot leading to a discharge aperture for the blanks, and a revolving bottom plate of said container sloping towards the outside adapted by its rotation to feed the blanks to the discharge aperture in said side wall.

2. A device for feeding the guide sleeves for spring rings to the points of working, comprising in combination a container,'a side wall of said container having a discharge aperture, a chute extending from the discharge aperture of 'said side wall having a delivery opening, a catch pin arranged with its upper end on the centre of the delivery opening in said chute adapted to catch the blanks dropping through the delivery opening in said chute, a periodically revolving disc at the lower end of said catch pin having depressions for accommodating the blanks, a longitudinal bar on said catch pin adapted to bear with'its upper edge against the blanks, and a brush adapted to rotate the blanks until their gaps register with said bar, so that the blanks are always uniformly fed by said catch pin into the depressions in said revolving disc in the proper position for working.

3. In a device for feeding the guide sleeves for spring rings to the points of working the combination of a container, a side wall of said'container, a chute extending from said side wall, a catch pin at the lower end of said chute, a reciprocating rod arranged'transversely to said chute and to said catch pin, and two arms carried by said rod, adapted to alternately lock the passage of the blanks, and mutually displaced so that one blank is liberated at each reciprocation of said rod.

4. In a device for feeding the guide sleeves for spring rings to the points of Workin the combination of a container, a side wall oi said container, a chute extending from said side wall, a catch pin at the lower end of said chute, a longitudinal straightening bar on said catch pin, a periodically revolving disc at the lower end of said catch pin with ring shaped depressions for accommodating the blanks, a retaining pin for each depression in said revolving disc adapted to register with said straightening bar and fit exactly in the gap in the blanks, and counter holders arranged at the difi'erent working points adapted to bear on the blanks when said revolving disc is at astandstill.

In testimony whereof I a'fiix my signature.

BERNHARD FOERSTER. 

